The Blog of Derek Kovacevic

I signed up on Vimeo quite some time ago. I think their site design is visually more pleasing than YouTube and looks more professional. While I have yet to post my own videos (coming soon, I promise), I have spent some time watching other people’s work. I particularly enjoyed a short film called “Illegal.”

If you are a filmmaker, you may be interested in entering a short film contest being held by LG. Films are to be no longer than five minutes. The top prize is a whopping $100,000. There are also prizes of $10,000 up for grabs. I’m not sure if I’m helping my chances by inviting more competition. If you win, just remember I told you about it, so giving me 10% would seem to be the right thing to do.

I’ve had a hankering for a 35mm adapter for quite some time. Everyone is getting that really shallow depth of field look with them, and I want in on the action too, especially since I want to start making films now.

But which adapter to choose?

There are three popular choices: Letus, Red Rock Micro, and Cinevate. I decided to go with the M2 Encore from Red Rock.

Why?

I was initially leaning towards one of the Letus products, either the Extreme or Elite (no way would I shell out $4500 US for the Ultimate), as they seemed to be the most popular lately. My friend owns a Cinevate Brevis and says that constantly having to clean the dust inside the unit has made it almost unusable.

That didn’t sound too appealing, so I quickly ruled out the Cinevate Brevis.

The same friend had worked with the original M2, and said it was built very well, but had issues with vignetting, sharpness, and light loss was around 1.5 stops. Not great.

But Red Rock recently rolled out a new M2 called the Encore and it seems all those issues have been addressed. Better image sharpness, no vignetting, and only half a stop light loss (that’s WITH the flip accessory)!

So the unit itself looks great, but the nail in the coffin for me was the quality of the Encore’s accessories. The follow focus looks great, and it too actually is a new and improved edition of their original one. In addition, Red Rock Micro has good shoulder mount and matte box options. So you can really complete the cinematic experience with those add-ons.

I ordered mine a little more than two weeks ago, so I’m getting a little antsy. The web site says lead times can be up to 15 days, so hopefully mine ships very soon. I already bought a 50mm Zeiss lens, so I just need the Encore.

I’m looking forward to receiving it and testing it out. I’ve never worked with a 35mm adapter before so I’m very eager to get my hands on it. Stay tuned for sample footage.

Panasonic HPX300

In case you missed it, Panasonic recently announced a new camera, the HPX300.

Basically, it’s an HVX200, but in a shoulder-mount form factor with interchangeable lenses. These are nice features that old-school shooters have no doubt been clamoring for. I’ve only used the more handheld prosumer cameras (DVX100, HVX200) and I’ve certainly learned how to work with them, but I wouldn’t mind trying the larger ENG style.

Why upgrade?

The image quality in the HPX300 doesn’t appear to be any better than the HVX200. If it is, it’s negligible, so I wouldn’t upgrade for that reason. I think the biggest reason a shooter would upgrade to this camera is because they just want to “look” and “feel” more professional.

Certain discerning corporate clients who have worked with videographers might see an HVX200 (or similar camera) and think it looks small and amateurish. Of course they’d be wrong, but if you walked in with the HPX300 instead, that thought would probably never enter their mind. Aside from that, veteran shooters who have worked with shoulder-mount cameras are accustomed to more knobs and buttons and less menus. This is understandable, as I am not crazy about menu surfing myself, but I take the good with the bad.

Pre-orders are available at B & H for $8500.

Cinema Advanced and Film Specific are a couple of web sites that offer insight and tips on independent filmmaking. I bookmarked them both.

I particularly enjoyed this post in Cinema Advanced on directing called “The only film making advice you really need.” It is probably most useful to those who are just getting into film, such as myself, but I think it also works as a solid foundation and guide for more advanced filmmakers to revert to when they feel lost.

Check out this short film called Wrath (just under 10 minutes). It might seem a little boring at first, but just keep watching and the mood changes quickly.

I wish I would’ve started this blog at least a couple weeks ago because a lot has been going on. Some good, some very, very bad, but all interesting…

I hate to start on a sour note but one of my closet friends, probably my best friend at the time, recently passed away. It’s been almost two weeks now since it happened. Dave Inverarity, my very dear friend, was only 31. As for how, there are still no real answers. All we know is he went quietly in his sleep, listening to his iPod. It was sudden, totally unexpected, and a devastating loss to all his friends and family. I plan to discuss this further on Monday.

Back in December, I had a couple students from the local university approach me about shooting a short film called “Bleach.” They had a script and a vision, but no equipment. That’s where I came in. I agreed to at least meet with them and explore the idea of filming it. Fast forward to this past Thursday - we just wrapped day three of the shoot. All three days included filming at the primary location, a luxury condo on the 13th floor of the Portofino complex on Riverside Drive. Getting a chance to experience this condo was one of the reasons I agreed to come on board. These suites run upwards of $500,000 (and more), and I’m not sure I’ll ever be in a position to own one, so I took this opportunity to see how the other side lives. It certainly is a treat to look out your window any time of the day and see the Detroit River and the Detroit skyline, especially at night. But while the views are fantastic, I personally would rather have a $500,000 house. In Windsor, especially these days, that buys you a whole lotta house.

The production days have been long and tiring. It might seem even longer because there is not much action or even dialogue in the script, but there was one night that went by pretty quick. We did film a love scene (quite well, I might add) and there were no shortage of laughs, wisecracks, and inappropriate gestures by the crew (including me).

Filming resumes Sunday, we’re off Monday, and we wrap on Tuesday. Stay tuned for production photos and video clips.

You might also expect to see updates on this film (and others) at WindsorFilm.com. Windsor Film is a site I recently created to help local filmmakers (and writers, actors crew, etc.) get together and, what else? make films! If you are from the Windsor or Essex County area and want to be involved in film, check it out.

Fans of alternative music may be familiar with Neverending White Lights. Daniel Victor is the brains behind NWL and also a friend of mine. I ran into him on Friday and he expressed an interest in having me film his band doing an acoustic set. Sounds groovy. Stay tuned for more on that.

I read a pretty interesting e-mail today. Two partners are asking if I’d like to help them produce a pilot for a TV show. It’s a “Curb Your Enthusiasm-like show set in a local TV station during the production of an 80’s wrestling show.” A TV pilot is one thing I haven’t done yet, so I’m certainly open to exploring this further.

Whew! I told you there has been a lot going on! And there’s probably more. But, let’s save some for another post. You’re up to speed. Now stay there, and come back soon.